Audience response systems allow large groups of people, such as meeting participants or audience members, to vote on a topic or respond to simple questions posed by an instructor or presenter. Various audience response systems are known and used in numerous applications such as education, audience participation, game shows, voting at conferences and the like, and opinion polls.
A typical audience response system comprises one or more base station transceivers that are connected to a computer including audience response system software, and a number of keypads that incorporate a simple keypad and display. The base station transmits data representing a question to the keypads and each member of the audience enters their response to the question on their keypad (e.g., yes/no or numeric) and the responses are communicated to the base station. The responses may then be stored, tallied, and/or displayed using the audience response system software. The keypad units typically include some type of user's interface, such as a keypad for inputting a user's response, and a display for displaying the response. However, these known audience response systems have many limitations. For example, such systems only provide for a simple Yes/No answer to a specific question, and thus do not allow a user to respond with a degree of opinion. Additionally, a user's response is usually entered via a keyboard, which can be inconvenient, for example where the user needs to continuously engage with a speaker or main screen instead of looking down at the keypad to find a correct answer.
There are several prior art systems which attempt to address the above-mentioned shortcomings. One of such systems is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,888,457 to Wilkinson et al., which disclose a portable apparatus for monitoring a reaction of a user to a performance. The apparatus includes various types of sensors, such as a temperature sensor, a perspiration sensor, a pulse rate sensor or an accelerometer, for detecting the user's reaction to the performance. However, the sensors are incapable of measuring direct user responses or votes. For example, the device of Wilkinson et al. does not provide a feature that allows the user to move the device in a particular way in order to provide a positive or negative response to a specific question. Additionally, the device of Wilkinson et al. does not include an improved user interface, for example a membrane that is touch-sensitive, to provide a simpler and more convenient way of entering the user's response.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,578 to Shatto et al. discloses another system for collecting response data adapted for use in market research. The system includes response units having a keypad, including numerical and bi-conditional keys, and a dial including several settings, for users to provide responses to questions. Although the system of Shatto et al. offers an improved way of entering a user's response, it still suffers from several drawbacks. For example, even though it allows the user to enter several degrees of opinion, such as “very dull” to “very good”, it is still limited in its available response ranges. Additionally, the response can be entered only by conventional means, such as numeric keys or the dial.
Yet another prior art system is a gestural input system disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0222746 to LeVine. The system of LeVine includes a sensor, such as a digital camera, which is capable of generating data/signal that may be processed for tracking a movement of the device, and software that translates the movement into digital content. The device also includes a display that displays the corresponding movement of digital content, and a data input. Although this system provides a type of gestural input, it does not allow for using gestures to indicate an amount or degree of a user's response.
Accordingly, there is still a need for an improved audience response system having advanced features beyond typical yes/no question and response capabilities.